Search brisbanetimes:

Search in:

Qatar mall fire evidence heartbreaking

The New Zealand parents of two-year-old triplets who were among 19 to die in a Qatar mall fire say it's heartbreaking the mall was allowed to operate when authorities knew parts of it were unsafe.

Two-year-old Kiwi triplets Lillie, Jackson and Willsher Weekes were among 13 children who died in the May 28 fire in the Gympanzee daycare centre in the Villaggio mall.

Gympanzee's co-owners, four mall officials and an employee of Qatar's Ministry of Business and Trade are facing charges over the fire.

The trial to determine criminal responsibility for the fire got under way on Thursday with witnesses, including civil defence officials, giving evidence.

Advertisement

One civil defence official told the court the mall had been fined several times for using a highly flammable paint in its decorations, which, when ignited, causes fire to spread quickly, Doha News reports.

The officials said the paint, coupled with cold air from the air conditioning, caused heavy smoke.

Sprinklers would have stopped the smoke, but they didn't appear to be working, an official said.

The triplets' father, Martin Weekes, said it was "negligence".

With a number of failures, he said "it's a real concern that the mall is still operating", he told 3 News.

His wife, Jane Weekes, said the fire shouldn't have happened.

"It's beyond heartbreaking to know that the authorities were aware that parts of the mall were unsafe, but continued to let it operate. That's horrific, it was such a needless thing to happen."